Hyperthyroidism Recovery, as told by Carol Blake- Hodge

I am a single mother of 4. Three young princes  and one  princess.  I am 60 years old today, 29 September 2009.  Presently, I reside in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands as a  Cultural Heritage Arts professional .

I became aware of my glandular problem back in 1986. My doctor diagnosed my ear and throat and said I needed to get it  checked. I did not accept his diagnosis, so I did nothing about  it. Three months after giving birth to my last child (October 26, 1988), my then physician was concerned and sent me to have a test done at CrawfordLongHospital in Atlanta, Georgia. In the space of two days from the first test on my thyroid, the gland had grown to the size of a small grapefruit.  I was told that I needed to have surgery. I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism. But is there a hyperthyroidism recovery?

I was attending medical school at that time and had the opportunity to do research on the Thyroid gland. I was told by my doctor that I had to have an operation. I agreed that something had to be done, so I signed into the hospital thereafter to have the procedure done. Needless to say, the operation went well but left me feeling cheated and puzzled over the 2 hours of my life while being operated on and the recovery period. I could not remember anything. This plagued me for quite sometime. I was placed on Synthroid- 0.5mg., which I was told to take daily to increase my chances of survival. Some years later, in 1991, I moved back to the Virgin Islands and continued using the Synthroid.

From the year 2000 to 2006, I began experiencing severe headaches, palpitation of the heart, memory laps, stress, TMJ and off-balanced menstrual cycle. I felt like I was loosing myself into nothingness.

Finally, one day at work I decided to surf the net in hopes that I could retrieve information on Hyperthyroidism and cures.   Surprisingly, I came across Svetla Bankova’s story on Graves Disease and Hyperthyroidism. I read her story and decided to get a downloaded copy of her book.  Along with her book I received weekly motivations, insight and encouragement from her through my email. This was really good for me, and I looked forward to each email with great anticipation of all that she would have to share with me.

I began to look at my life differently…What I wanted and expected, where I wanted to go and to be; most importantly, what is truly best for me and how can I get there. While working on all this through prayer and hearing the penetrating and inspiring words of God—To bring about change: You have to do something that you have never done and Svetla ”It’s a lifestyle!  I gave it my all. Then my doctor retired and I had a new one.

This physician sent me to have lab work done, and the thyroid results turned out to be unbelievable. The dosage of Synthroid was too high causing the medical problems I mentioned earlier. The dosage was changed to 0.08 mgs. After taking the first pill, my menstrual cycle came back and I called to let the doctor in on it. I never had the opportunity to speak to him. The nurse decided on her own diagnosis and prescription. All this was based on what her girlfriend experienced. To say the least, I was really ticked-off and that was my last visit to that doctor’s office.  I became very skeptical of synthetic drugs after this and came to a drastic decision…I’m going cold turkey; and I did.

I was visiting a Naturopathic Physician at the time who specializes in other areas of health, including Pain Management.  She experienced my frustration and asked what the problem was. When I told her she began to laugh, but concluded by showing me in a health and healing book that what I was told concerning the pills and my life was a lie. Somehow that day it was all I needed to hear and I told her of Svetla and the lifestyle changes that Svetla had told me I had to make if I wanted to begin enjoying life for me and my family.

It’s been 3 years since I have not taken Synthroid, I’m headache free. Healthy and meaningful conversations are at it’s highest, and my hobby has turned into a profitable business. And so is my lifestyle and what goes into my mouth.

Yes, there are times that I indulge in something that I should not eat, but with God’s help and time and my willingness to be true to myself and God’s word (My body is a temple for the Lord), I will prevail.

I truly feel blessed, because I have two Naturopathic Health Care Consultants that has my best interest at heart here in St. Croix, USVirgin Islands, and I receive much care and guidance from both, together with Svetla’s motivational emails that I continue to receive to date.

It’s my prayer that God’s covering protection be over each of them and their families and practice to include the lives of those the Creator has and continues to send along their path.

God Bless!

Carol Blake-Hodge

To find more successful stories of other people battling Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism, check out here:

Life Stories of Graves’ Disease

Overactive Thyroid Gland – Drama or Real Life Experience?

by Svetla Bankova

 The Overactive Thyroid Gland (also known as hyperthyroidism) affects different people in different ways. Many experience weight loss (despite increased appetite), tiredness, nervous symptoms and a dislike of hot weather.

Shakiness of the hands and awareness of a rapid heart beat and difficulty sleeping are also common. Hyperthyroidism is a prolonged illness which, if untreated, can have severe consequences and the most dangerous of all- thyroid storm. However, overactive thyroid symptoms may wax and wane in an individual over a period of years and sometimes it is very difficult even to get diagnosed properly. How many times have you heard these words stated:

• ‘You’re just suffering from stress and anxiety’
• ‘It’s in your genes, learn to live with it’
• ‘Just snap out of it and get on with your life’
• ‘You are overreacting, be real’
• ‘You are too emotional, I can’t stand it’
• There’s nothing much you can do about it’

I’m sure you’ve heard these types of statements many times, from well meaning friends, relatives and even doctors. It can be very discouraging when those around you do not understand your physical and mental suffering. You may wish that they could live inside your body for just one day, and experience the symptoms you have to deal with constantly. Or may be you just have Overactive Thyroid (Hyperthyroidism) and you simply are not aware of that as well. In fact, one of the reasons for your overactive thyroid could be Graves’ Disease. Let’s have a look on your thyroid gland so you can better understand the origin of this disease. 

Thyroid Gland in Simple English

round one in 20 people will experience some form of thyroid dysfunction in their lifetime. Women especially are more often affected than men and thyrotoxicosis may even appear for the first time three to six months after pregnancy (postpartum).

The thyroid gland is part of the endocrine system, which secretes regulatory hormones into the blood. The thyroid sits just below the Adam’s apple (larynx) and has two lobes, one on either side of the windpipe. This thyroid gland controls many vital metabolic processes, such as growth and energy expenditure.

The thyroid gland produces the hormones thyroxine (tetra-iodothyronine) and tri-iodothyronine, which set the body’s metabolic rate. The more of these hormones in the blood, the faster the metabolism. The hormones are referred to as T4 and T3 respectively, reflecting the number of iodine atoms in each hormone.

The pituitary gland in the brain regulates the production of the hormones by releasing a chemical called thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). It is believed that the body needs about 150µg of iodine a day to allow the thyroid to make sufficient hormones.

We call overactive thyroid gland when it produces too much iodine or thyroid stimulating hormone.

  Fight Overactive Thyroid  with………. No- Activity.. 

1. If you are working full time, if possible, switch to part time, or even take a leave of absence. It will speed up your healing process dramatically.
2. Make your “Priority list”, Those are the top 5 things that are your priority. Stick with this list and don’t add anything else to your plate until you get better.
3. Delegate, delegate, delegate! Delegate all things that could be delegated to family members, kids, friends and relatives. The fewer things you do, the better.
4. Set up your personal time and guard this, as it is your biggest treasure. It’s up to you what you’ll do with this time.
5. Find at least 2 things that you really enjoy doing (the more the better), movies, books, painting, knitting, dancing, or singing. Anything. Do as much as possible.
6. Stop any  activity that’s taking too much time, energy, or efforts and you can live without it.
7. Laugh- and  laugh again. The more the better. Use movies, funny books, comedies, be around friends or people that make you laugh.
8. Getting enough sleep, no matter how, can change the way you view the world. It’s the first ‘must do’.
9. Find what you like to do and do more of that. The sooner, the better.
10. Take care of yourself, love yourself and be your best friend. You are the most important person in the world.

As a psychologist, I must say that improving your life style will dramatically improve your overall health situation and I would recommend to take the necessary steps before your disease become uncontrollable.

Diet also can contribute to your overactive thyroid gland. For more recommendations on diet, what to eat and what to avoid check here.

To learn more methods for coping with your overactive thyroid, you may check my book “Life Manual for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism”.